The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-03-09

man colors-whitc, black, rcd-in their
buttonholcs, and their ladies' in an hour
or SO had managed to obtain the core
spending thing i'll flowers. This, of
course, dld not improve matters, and the
ball for the rest of the evening consisted
| largely in couples of different political
affiliations sweeping past each other and
glowering savagely.
| a similar occurrence happened the
| evening of the day when the Germans
triumphantly entered Paris. That was
at the opera, but the emperor did not
happen to be present. Rcmonstrances
and unpleasant scenes are sail to have
been quite frequent just about that time
between father and son. However, it
all blew over, and the scenes enacted a
few months later on by the commune in
Paris, as well rs the repeated attempts
on the life of his father made by nihiIis-
tic conspirators considerably changed
the czarowitH's views and held in check
his sympathics for France, though these
sympathics never wholly died within
and still exist to-day. How much of
change time had wrought III him was
obviously shown when Alexander Ill,
after the assassination, of his father
asccndcd the throne. Thousands IN
Russia expected in his proclamation to
his people some promise OF larger libcr-
tics, and If not constitution outright,
at least an assurance from him hat the
nation at large, through its REPRESENTA-
tlVcS, should have Il voice in making and
unmaking laws and in administering the
finances Of the immense empire. But
neither in that document nor in the pub
lisbcd manifesto OF May l., 1881, did
the new Emperor say word about this.
quite the contrary, he aCccntuated his
claims to autocratic power even more
broadly and absolutely than his father
had ever done. Loris Nlclmkow, re-
former of a mild pattern, was soon given
the go-Dy likewise and Ignatic appointed
in his place. Schuwaloif followed, and
now 1t is even IOlstoi, a man than whom
there can be nobody better qualified to
crush every liberal aspiration and ret,rd
every sort of progress and popular en-
liBhtcnncnt. The present Emperor's
foreign policy is too we'll known to need
comment, and the fact that he has
thought Il trio of such men as Tolstoi,
De Gicrs, and Gcurlko worthy Of the
highest honurs and oi his spcc!l conf
dcncc, and that IIaulbars whom a recent
article in this paper sufficiently charac-
i'll his eyes and has even been promoted |
to the grade OF acknowledgement speaks
volumes.
The family relations Of Alexander I'LL |
have been uniformly pleasant He is a
devoted husband and fond ana dutilul !
father, From his union with tIc royal
Dame have sprung fom cmldrvu-thrcc |
sons and one daughter. The latter
princess Ncnia, is now nearly twelve |
years OF age, and is Il lovely, amiable
girl, with blue eyes and fair hair of a !
rare golden tint The eldest son, Nicolas,
was born May is, 1868, and is Il fine,
sturdy boy George, the second, was
born i'll 1871, and Michael in 1878. The
empress is still Il charming woman and
wears her forty years with case and
grace. Though not much of musician
when She welded the Russian, she per-
tcctcd herself since i'll order to crafty
his taste for music. The Emperor, how |
ever, IS only tond of fine Italian opera
and of the melancholy, simple airs and
foik-songs Of his country. Dagmar sings |
to him even to-day, when She wishes to
please him.